Partial-Building Collapse Without Warning

In the Middle of the Night

THE TOP TWO FLOORS OF AN 8-STORY office building in Shanghai, China, collapsed suddenly on Sunday morning. Fortunately it was in the middle of the night and no people are believed to have been in or around the building at the moment.

Shanghaiist

Dozens of police cars, fire engines and ambulances staged at the intersection while police, fire and other departments had entered the building surveying and searching for any trapped people.

Shanghaiist

The city officials are still puzzled over what caused the partial collapse without any previous warning that it was unstable. One of the local residents told China News: "This building is several decades old, how can it suddenly just fall down one night? It was lucky that it didn't fall on anyone." The city engineers are considering the possibility that a remodelng project on the upper floors may have taken out a load-bearing wall.

The Shanghaiist posted this video report taped shortly after the event (it is a collection of clips, so let the video run for the full two minutes):